Graduate Student Funding

Graduate students are typically supported by fellowships or employed as departmental teaching and research assistants. Applicants are automatically considered for any departmental and university funding we have to offer. This funding (recruitment fellowships, teaching assistantships, etc.) is allocated at the discretion of the Graduate Admissions Committee. Funding for PhD students in sociology is prioritized over MA student funding. However, when available, MA students may receive some funding support. To the extent possible, PhD students are offered a 4-5 year guaranteed funding package, towards covering living costs and tuition expenses, consisting of a combination of fellowships, teaching assistantships and research assistantships. These are baseline guarantees; if a student’s earnings are greater than or equal to the funding guaranteed in a given year, then the department’s obligations are considered to be met. All graduate students are expected to apply for all external funding for which they are eligible. Application for some fellowships may be made before arrival at McGill.

Importantly, incoming out-of-province students are encouraged to change their health card to a Quebec health care card by the end of September of their first year, so as to make them eligible for provincial funding awards in their second year.

The department communicates directly with students via electronic mail about new fellowship, assistantship and other student training/employment opportunities.

In order to be paid on time (whether for a teaching assistantship or otherwise), be sure to complete all required documentation (from the department and university) and ensure that your banking information is up-to-date on MINERVA. It should be entered in the ‘Bank Account Used for Student-Initiated Payments’ section under the Direct Deposit Account Menu on MINERVA in order to receive pay outs via direct deposit. If your banking information has not been added, you will not receive payment of any kind including Teaching and Research Assistantships as well as various awards allocated to you as part of your funding package.